Musical chime signal construction



June 7, 1949. R s

I MUSICAL GHIME SIGNAL CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 21, 1945 INVENTOR 0,665 E. 1 76 ATTORN EY Patented June 7, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT oer-ice MUSICAL CHIME SIGNAL GONSTRUCT1GN George R. Fish, Norwalk, Conn., assignor "to Edwards and Company, Inc.,.Norwalk, :Conn.,a corporation of New York Application December 21, 1945,Serial *"No. 636,478

3 Claims.

This invention relates to musical signalling ap- ,paratus.

One .of the objects of this invention is to provide a mechanically-actuated musical signalling device that will be of compact and simple con- :struction, reliable and long-lasting musical ac- :tion, and well adapted for attachment to a door 'or door :frame of a home, apartment, or the like. Another object is to eliminate or materially reduce the possibility of interference with tone :production :by noise of the mechanical operatin mechanism itself. Another object is to provide a mechanically-actuated musical signalling device that will be inexpensive and efficient to manuzfacture, easy to .install, and of long-lasting and dependable action. Another object is in general to :provide .an improved "construction and action 'tora musical signalling device, and other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the fea- .tur-es of construction, combinations of elements, :and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to -be hereinafter described and the scope .of the application of which will be indicatedin the foll-owingclaims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is 11- lustratively shown a preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the chime signalling device :as seen with the cover removed;

'Fig. 2 is an end elevation as seen from the bottom of Fig. l, with the cover in section; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary central vertical sectional view as seen along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the coverin' position and also the manner of installation of the device.

.Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the draw- 1 preferably provide a base plate Ill of sheet metalprovided with a'peripheral flange H which can rest against the face of the door or panel #2 tFig. 3) to which the device may be secured in any manner, as by screws, as indicated in Fig. '3, the base plate being provided with suitable holes fl 3 for that purpose.

.Al'ong longitudinal side edges of the bas plate I'provj'de laterally spaced and preferably parallel vibratable sounding elements l4 and I5, preferably in the form of metal bars or plates, preferably differently dimensioned so as to emit distinguishing musical tones. These may be supported in any suitable way, as by bushings ll of rubber or other cushioning material, which pass through suitably :spaced "holes in :the sounding elements i l and d5, bein'g in turn secured 'to the upstanding arms of L shaped brackets 16 that are secured to thezbaseplatexin any suitable manner, as-bysp'ot welding.

In the space between the sounding elements l4 :and @lt5 I.providesa'strikerhead 18 mounted preferably for oscillating movemen't so that the sounding elements t! and 15 may be impacted preferably in succession, and preferably for that .purposeI providea relatively long-striker arm l'9 to which the :striker .hea'd .l.-8 is secured at one end, suitable means 'being provided to pivotally support the arm H) :at its other end. 'For example, lmay iprovide'astud 20 (Fig. 3') rigidly secured to'the rb'ase plate =10 in any suitable way, as by shouldering the stand at its right-hand end for passage through a. suitable hole 21 in the plate I10 and then heading it *over like a rivet, the lefthand "end of the stud 720 being shouldered, as at 22, 'to provide a free :and easy fit with a hole in the end of the striker arm l9 so that the latter can easily swing without resistance from its bearing engagement with the bearing stud; the stud "20 :may be provided with 'a threaded hole to resolve a large headed :screw 23 to prevent the striker arm 19 from riding 011 its hearing 22.

The striker arm l9 con'veni'entl is in the form of :a suitably I'heavy sheet-metal stamping, and the head 18 :is preferably of appropriate weight 'to' coa'ctwith zpart's later described; the head IB may, if desired, be provided with striker elements 25 :and 26 :made of'flber, hard wood, or the like, and suitably secured thereto, as by force-fitting into suitable holes in the head 18. The latter may be secured in any suitable way to the arm 1'9, as by "a screw =21, and, with the pivoting stud 2B -=rnidway between the sounding elements M and 15,:th'e arm I! may beswung counter-clockwise to impact the sounding element 14 by way of striker element 25, 01 'swung'clockwise to strike sounding element 15 by striker element 26. In the lower :portion of the spac'ebetween the sounding elements 1'4 :and 1 5 I provide a frame 3'!) suitably secured to the base plate 10 and provide a from; plate S'Bhprovided with a hole 31 that is in line with :a .hole 32 in the base plate In, thus forming spaced bearings for the 'trunnioned or stepped ends of a sleeve -33 that has a coaxial hole 34 therethrough ito telescopically receive a shait 35 that extends through a hole [2 in the panel l2, its right-hand end being secured to a hub '36 that .is rotatably carried in a suitable and preferably ornamental plate "31 secured to the outside .face ofrthe panel 1-2,.as bysorews -38, the

.1 hub 36 being provided with any suitable means, such as a handle 4!), for giving the hub and hence the shaft 35 a suitable rotary motion.

The shaft 35 extends more or less into the hole 34 in the sleeve 33, depending upon the thickness of the door panel i2, and any suitable means may be provided to effect non-rotatable connection between the shaft 35 and sleeve 33, and in the illustrative embodiment the shaft may be square and the hole 34 likewise square in cross-section. The frame 3|! may be in the form of a sheet-metal stamping, provided with a flange or foot 30 by which it may be secured to the base plate In, as by spot welding.

The sleeve 33 has fastened to it in any suitable way a driving plate 4| shaped somewhat as shown in Fig. 1 and conveniently in the form of a heavy sheet-metal stamping. It has secured thereto an upwardly extending or elongated flat spring 43, as by having the lower end of the spring 43 received in a slot 4| of the driving plate 4| and securely clamped or otherwise held, as by soldering, brazing, or the like, to or by the walls of the slot. The spring 43 extends upwardly in front of the striker arm 59 and its upper end has a suitable actuating connection with the striker arm l9 capable of compensating for the misplaced relation of the pivoting axes of the striker arm l9 and of the driving plate 45 which, when swung about its axis, efifects a swinging also of the leaf spring 43. For this purpose a suitable connecttion is a sliding one, and illustratively it may comprise two spaced round pins 44 secured to the striker arm is, preferably in closer proximity to the weighted striker head l8 than to the supporting axis of the striker arm l9, the upper end of fiat spring 43 passing between the two pins 44 with a nice sliding fit.

The driving plate 4! is provided with spaced projecting parts 45 and 46 that coact alternately with a preferably cushioned stud 47? that is rigidly secured to the base plate it in any suitable manner and that projects forwardly beyond the front plate 3|) of the frame 36. Part 41 may be cushioned, as by a bushing 48 which may be of rubber, felt, or any other suitable means, to dampen or eliminate noise of contact of either parts 45 or 46 and itself. The parts 4l'48, which may be termed a stop unit, are so positioned, in relation to the spring action of the fiat leaf spring 43 and the weight of the pivotal striker structure |8|9, that, when the driving plate 4| is swung in counterclockwise direction to the position shown in Fig. 1,'in which the part 46 engages the stop unit il i8, the weight of the striker structure |8|9, even though it may somewhat bias or bend the spring 43 to the left, is such that the striker is out of engagement with the sounding element i4 and is spaced somewhat to the right thereof; whereas, if the driving plate 4| is in an at rest position such that the part 45 thereof engages the stop unit 47-48, the striker structure i8|9 occupies a position to the right of its axis, but the striker element is out of engagement with the sounding element I and is spaced to the left thereof. Preferably a spring 50 connected at one end to the driving plate 4| and connected at its other end to a stud 5| secured to and upstanding from the base plate Ill, normally biases and holds the driving plate 4| in the first above-described position in which the coaction between the driving spring 43 and the striker structure lB-l9 is such that the spring 43 holds the the striker element 25 in proximity to but spaced to the right of the sounding element |4, spring 50, through the driving plate 4|, sleeve 33, and shaft 35, thus also holding the actuating lever 40 in its (Fig. 1) starting position. In these actions spring 50 is aided by a coiled tension spring 52, one end of which is connected to the outer end of the stud 41 (Figs. 2 and 1) and the other end of which is connected to a pin or stud 53 secured to a portion of the plate 4| that projects to the other side of the axis of the latter, the parts being so proporioned that, in the just-described at rest position, the line of pull of spring 52 extends below the axis of the sleeve 33.

If the external actuating part 40 is now turned to swing the driving plate 4| in clockwise direction (Fig. 1) against the action of springs 50 and 52, the flat spring 43 commences a movement of translation along an arcuate path and in a direction toward the right as viewed in Fig. 1, the movement being accompanied by a pivoting motion; against the inertia of the striker structure |iii9, the latter is started, slowly at first, in a clockwise pivoting movement about its axis, the sliding connection of the spring 43 with the slot effect of the space between the pins 44 permitting self-accommodation of the spring to the pins to compensate for changes in bending of the spring 43, as well as for differences caused by the displaced axes of the striker arm l5 and driving plate 4|. By the time the center of gravity of the striker structure l8|9 just about passes dead-center, the line of pull of the spring 52, due to the upward movement of the left-hand part of driving plate 4| (Fig. 1), also just about passes upwardly beyond the axis of the driving plate 4|, though these actions, it will be understood, can be made to be substantially simultaneous or for one to follow the other in either order, according as the parts, particularly the striker structure and the spring 43, are proportioned as to the weight and point of pivoting of the former and stiffness or spring action of the latter. With the spring 52 now acting on the other side of the axis of plate 4|, it accelerates the clockwise rotary movement of the driving plate 4|, which, through the spring 43, thence accelerates the already accelerating pivoting movement to the right of the striker head it, the latter (through the striker element 26, if such an element is employed) being in effect slapped against the sounding element l5 to set the latter into sound-emitting vibration. The striker rebounds from the sounding element l5, aided by the retractile effort of the spring 43 which is overstrained in clockwise direction beyond its normal at rest position as determined by the engagement of the part 45 with the part 41-48, and thus the striker is prevented from damping the vibration of the sounding element 5. Though the part 45 may engage the part 48 at considerable velocity, no sound or noise is there produced, nor does any of the other actuating mechanism produce any clicking or other sounds that would interfere with the tone of the vibrating element Hi.

When the external actuator 45B is released, the energy stored in the spring 50 starts the driving plate 4| in counterclockwise rotary movement, thus reversing the above-described actions in that the striker is now slapped at substantial velocity against the other sounding element M to cause the latter to emit its note or tone, the striker rebounding therefrom, aided by the overstraining of the spring 43 in counterclockwise direction beyond its normal at rest position as fixed by the engagement of part 46 with parts 4'|48. Damping of the sounding element I4 is avoided and the entire action of striking either of the sounding elements or of striking both of them in succession, is accomplished without noises that would interfere with the tone emission of the sounding elements and without any disturbing sound eifects of mechanisms at work,

A suitable cover or closure 55 (Figs. 2 and 3) closes over the entire mechanism, having side Walls 56 which telescopically interfit with the flange ll of the base plate In to which it may be secured in any suitable manner, preferably detachably. In the side Walls adjacent the sounding elements l4--l5 suitable apertures 51 may be provided for sound emission, the entire enclosure preferably functioning also as a resonator.

It will be seen that the mechanism is of simple construction and of great facility in manufacture and assembly, and is easy and simple to install. The noiselessness of action of the actuating parts or mechanisms adds materially to the effect of the purity of emitted tone or tones of the sounding element or elements with which the striker and actuating mechanism coact in a unique way to insure adequate energy and suddenness of impact without detrimental damping action upon the sounding element or elements. Moreover, it will be seen that the construction is well adapted for long-lasting and reliable action under the varying conditions of practical use.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth, or shown in the accompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a chime signalling device comprising, a frame, a pair of sounding elements, and a striker mounted between said elements for movement against said sounding elements successively, the combination of an actuating shaft extending into said frame, a driving plate mounted on the inner end of said shaft and rotatable with the shaft, an arm rotatably mounted in said frame adjacent to said driving plate, said arm carrying the said striker at its free end, a spring member slideably interconnecting said driving plate and said arm whereby said arm is caused to rotate with said plate and spring member, means for limiting the extent of rotation of said driving plate and said spring member so that while at rest at either limit of its swing it will hold the said arm adjacent to but out of contact with one of said sounding elements, said spring connector being yieldable under momentum of the striker as the latter swings about its pivot and adapted to flex sufficiently to permit the striker to impact said sounding elements respectively, said driving plate having a bifurcated end, stop means between said bifurcations, and spring means interconnected between said plate and said stop thereby giving snap action to the movement of said plate, and means for biasing said plate.

2. In a signalling device having spaced sounding elements, striker means, and actuating means therefore, the combination of means mounting said striker means between said sounding elements for movement in directions first to strike one element and then the other, said mounting means comprising, a rigid arm having striker means secured at one end thereof, means pivotally supporting the other end of said rigid arm in position between said sounding elements, a rocker positioned beyond the pivot of said rigid arm from the striker means, means for rocking said rocker, means on said arm slidably engageable with an elongated spring member, an elongated spring member one end of which is slidably engaged with, said rigid arm and the other end of which is secured to said rocker, and means limiting the extent of movement of said rocker in either direction to prevent the rigid arm and elongated spring assembly from contacting either of said sounding elements when at rest.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, in which said arm and said elongated spring member are slidably engaged, which comprises a pair of pins spaced apart transversely of the arm and said elongated spring member extends between said pins and engages one or the other of said pins when the driving plate is rotated, depending upon the direction of rotation of said plate.

GEORGE R. FISH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

